Hillary Clinton, The Shadow Party and Me

Halloween 2009. A big night at Castle Clinton. Aka the White House. Even though Bill Clinton is the first black ex-president, his face glows phosphorescent. Bill is thrilled. President Hillary has raised him from the international dead zone to serve as co-host of her first Halloween bash. “The Shadow Party” has Washington abuzz. Anybody who is anybody is coming to the costume ball. Bill is in Dracula drag, sporting a cape given him by an actual descendant of Vlad the Impaler. Transylvania being one of the stops on Bill’s International Listening Tour.

Boom boom goes the knocker. The guests are arriving. Bill swings wide the door. First on the scene are lesser lights, eager to speak truck to power. A couple of robot reps from machine districts. A county exec wrapped like a mummy in indictments. A mayor from some mosh pit dressed as a HUD buck. She crinkles enticingly as she walks. Bill makes a mental note and steers her to the free booze and noshes.

Round midnight the party is popping. Global financier George Soros holds court in a corner. The crowd hangs on his every word about transcending the limitations of national governments and buying local elections. When a drunk slurs something about “power hungry prog elitists” a hefty babe dressed like an ACORN punches out his lights. A few guys in mole costumes from the Working Families Party Store step forward to heave ho the body. Soros doesn’t notice: his King Kong mask lacks eye holes.

When the clock strikes twelve the music stops. The crowd falls silent. President Hillary is at the top of the stairs, looking as splendiferous as Vincent Price in a Roger Corman flick. In her glass, a bleeding man.

Bill gives a shout out “Throw your hands up for the Commander-In-Chief!” The crowd roars “Here’s to the Mideast Wars!”

Smiling graciously President Hillary descends. Her train held by her handmaidens. When she spots favored courtiers in the crowd, she throws them a finger point, eye pop, and full tombstone flash. Her choppers dazzle even her critics. Not many are present; the handmaidens have been busy bees.

Foreign guests include contributors and fund-raisers. One clever bundler is dressed as a teapot, with a cozy draped over his face. Vlad the Impaler’s descendant is present, with his extended family. Bill gives them a Transylvanian high five. Demonstrating, yet again, his ability to connect with all kinds of folks.

Hillary zeros in on Xi Jinping, of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. Top dogs of the People’s Republic. Word has it that when the next Communist Party Congress meets in 2012, Xi Jinping will step into the shoes of President Hu. While carefully avoiding his toes.

Xi Jinping joined the Politboro pack in October, 2007. Xi is a “princeling.” Not in costume, but social position. According to Forbes (China’s Communists Revamp Politburo, 10/22/07) the epithet refers to “the offspring of the Communist Party’s political family dynasties . . . the princeling clique, while widely resented by the Chinese public, commands top posts in Beijing and in China’s largest companies.”

“Xi!” Hillary is on him like white on rice. Mentioning their mutual background as lawyers. Calling the 2008 Beijing Olympics “absolutely fabulous.” Keeping it lite re the government crackdowns that preceded The Games, chuckling how mosquitoes are the only thing more aggravating than journalists and dissidents. Oh — except for bloggers. Waxing serious, Hillary references Xi’s interest in educational ideology* and expresses concern that Our Children are being harmed by an Internet full of bad people who undermine faith in government and torpedo economic growth. As she speaks, her accent turns ersatz Chinese. Xi seems puzzled by her Charlie Chan chat, but nods and smiles. Xi is nothing if not politic.

The Me

Seriously folks, there’s a book titled The Shadow Party. Written by David Horowitz and Richard Poe. Published in 2006 by Nelson Current. Richard Poe recently sent me a copy. He and I were ships that passed in the night of NYC’s Punk scene in the 1980’s. We were both involved (at different times and in different ways) with the East Village Eye, a culture rag that covered the scene like warm leatherette. While not on an identical political wave length circa 2007, we agree on some things. Including gun control. We’re against it. We also agree Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be president. Though our reasons differ. Horowitz and Poe are Dubya lovin’ hawks who believe Hillary won’t do the do in the Mideast. Whereas I believe Hillary will do plenty. And IMHO, America shouldn’t be ruled by political family dynasties. Be they Bush or Clinton.

The Shadow Party is subtitled “How George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Sixties Radicals Seized Control of the Democratic Party.” A finger in the eye and a damn fine cup of polemic. Whether writing from the left (Ramparts in the 60’s) or the right, David Horowitz has always been a talented polemicist. Richard Poe is his match. The Shadow Party is well researched and does what a good polemic should; make you look sharp at power. Some of the philanthropic activities of international financier George Soros may be admirable. But his meddling in our local governments and elections, via groups empowered with his soft money, is deeply creepy. As is the related trend of moguls buying political office. IMHO, America shouldn’t be ruled by princelings. No matter their ideology.

One last thing. Each chapter of Party kicks off with a pic of shadow figures that look like the demons who haul souls down to hell in the movie “Ghost.” How Halloween Ball is that?